Galatians 3:19-29

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Galatians

Rusty's Notes

Galatians 3:19-29
19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.
 - The Law came to:
 1) Define sin (Romans 4:15 - 15 For the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. [1])
 2) Increase sin (Romans 5:20 - 20 The law came along to multiply the trespass.[2])
 - The Law was temporary – It was after the covenant and ended before the covenant was fulfilled.
 - There were no “ifs” in the covenant with Abraham like there was in the Law given to Moses.
 - “It was added” – Came in by a side road.

20 Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one.
 - Moses was this mediator.
 - The Law needed a “go between person”
 - The Covenant between God & Abraham did not need a mediator.
21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law.
 - While Law and grace seem to be contrary to one another, if you go deep enough, you will discover that they actually complement one another.
 - Why, then, was the Law given?[3]
 - If we could attain righteousness but fulfilling the Law, then Christ’s sacrifice on the cross would be pointless.
 - It was “worship of the Law” that led Israel into a self-righteous religion of works, the result of which was the rejection of Christ [4]
22 But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
 - Romans 7:12 -12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. [5]

23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.
 - Eat a powdered donut in one bite.
 - Look in the mirror
 - Someone else clean their face
25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (tutor), 26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
 - Highly educated slaves escorted children to and from school. They watched over them through the day.
 - Paul was saying they were not born though the Law but were raised up by the Law.
 - The Law did not give life to Israel… it regulated life.
 - The Judaizers taught that the Law was necessary for life and righteousness.
 -Once the child came of age, they no longer needed the guardian.

 - The Law has performed its purpose: the Savior has come and the “guardian” is no longer needed.
 - It is tragic that the nation of Israel did not recognize their Messiah when He appeared.
 - God finally had to destroy the temple and scatter the nation, so that today it is impossible for a devoted Jew to practice the faith of his fathers.
 - He has no altar, no priesthood, no sacrifice, no temple, no king (Hosea 3:4).
 - All of these have been fulfilled in Christ, so that any man—Jew or Gentile—who trusts Christ becomes a child of God.[6]
 
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.
 - Faith in Jesus baptizes us “into Christ” (Gal. 3:27).
 - This baptism of the Spirit identifies the believer with Christ and makes him part of His body (1 Cor. 12:12–14).
 - Water baptism is an outward picture of this inner work of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 10:44–48).[7]
 - To believe in Jesus Christ and water, Jesus Christ and bread and wine, Jesus Christ and church membership, Jesus Christ and anything else is to profane the grace of God and render useless the death of Christ (2:21).[8]
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
 - The Pharisee would pray each morning, “I thank Thee, God, that I am a Jew, not a Gentile; a man, not a woman; and a freeman, and not a slave.” Yet all these distinctions are removed “in Christ.”[9]
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.[10]
 - Genesis 12:1-3 -  The Lord said to Abram:
Go out from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. l
3 I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse those who treat you with contempt,
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.[11]
 - Your Christian life ought to take on new wonder and meaning as you realize all that you have in Christ.
 - And all of this is by grace—not by Law!
 - You are an adult son in God’s family, an heir of God.
 - Are you drawing on your inheritance?[12]

[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ro 4:15). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ro 5:20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 702). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 702). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ro 7:12). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 703). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 704). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 277). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 704). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ga 3:19–29). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ge 12:1–3). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 704). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.